TEHRAN: Yemen&#39;s Houthi rebels joined the month-old Middle East war, claiming two missile attacks on Israel that raised concern on Sunday about the war spreading to the Red Sea. Fears of a widening conflict came as the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon was preparing plans for weeks of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pentagon-preparing-for-ground-operations-in-iran-report" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">US ground operations</a>&nbsp;in Iran -- though it said President Donald Trump has yet to approve any deployment. The involvement of Houthi rebels has added a new complexity to a conflict that has already impacted a wide swathe of the Middle East. During Israel&#39;s recent war on Gaza, the Houthis, claiming solidarity with Palestinians, attacked shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, forcing companies to take costly detours. Until Saturday, they had sat out the latest conflict, even as the Red Sea grew more vital. A Houthi spokesman on Saturday said the group fired &quot;a barrage of cruise missiles and drones targeting several vital and military sites&quot; in Israel. Since the launch of hostilities, Saudi Arabia has rerouted much of its oil exports via the Red Sea to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran says it has closed to shipping from hostile powers. Iran threatens retaliationThe attacks on Iran continued Saturday as Israel&#39;s military said it struck the headquarters of Iran&#39;s Marine Industries Organisation in Tehran, saying the facility developed &quot;a wide range of naval weaponry.&quot; On Saturday evening, a wave of blasts rang out in the capital for several minutes, with no immediate word on what was targeted. An Israeli military spokesman said attacks on Iranian military industry had intensified and &quot;within a few days, we will complete attacks on all critical components.&quot; &quot;I miss a peaceful night&#39;s sleep,&quot; an artist in Tehran told AFP, saying the previous night&#39;s strikes were &quot;so intense it felt like all of Tehran was shaking.&quot; Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guard meanwhile threatened Sunday to strike US university campuses in the Middle East unless Washington officially condemned US-Israeli&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-israel-war-on-iran-day-29" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">attacks on two Iranian universities</a>. Several American institutions operate campuses across the Gulf region, including Texas A&amp;M in Qatar and New York University in the UAE. Pakistan mediationThe conflict began when the United States and Israel launched airstrikes across Iran that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, engulfing the region in conflict, sending energy prices soaring and prompting diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting. Pakistan, acting as a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-iran-leaders-discuss-regional-tensions-peace-efforts" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">go-between for Washington and Tehran,</a>&nbsp;will host foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt in Islamabad on Monday for talks on the crisis. Iran&#39;s President Masoud Pezeshkian thanked Islamabad &quot;for its mediation efforts to stop the aggression,&quot; while Germany&#39;s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Friday he expected a direct US-Iran meeting in Pakistan &quot;very soon.&quot; Trump&#39;s special envoy Steve Witkoff said such a meeting could take place this week, and promoted a 15-point plan that Washington says &quot;could solve it all.&quot; Still, the USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship carrying around 3,500 Marines and sailors, arrived in the Middle East on Friday amid speculation over a possible US ground deployment in Iran. The Washington Post reported late Saturday that the Pentagon is preparing plans for weeks of ground operations in Iran -- potentially including raids on Kharg Island and sites near the Strait of Hormuz -- though President Trump has yet to approve any deployment. Red Sea shipping&nbsp;The economic fallout of the war remained critical with Hormuz still all but impassable and attacks on infrastructure still frequent in the region. Many Gulf shipments have been rerouted through Oman&#39;s Salalah port on the Arabian Sea, but Danish shipping giant Maersk said operations there were temporarily suspended after a drone attack. Fire broke out after Iranian missiles and drones struck the Khalifa Economic Zone in Abu Dhabi, injuring six people. Emirates Global Aluminium reported significant damage. Air travel has also been disrupted, with authorities in Kuwait and Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan reporting airport facilities hit in strikes by Iran. The United States condemned a drone attack on the residence of Kurdish regional leader Nechirvan Barzani, blaming Iranian militia proxies in Iraq and calling it &quot;a direct assault on Iraq&#39;s sovereignty.&quot; Elsewhere in Iraq, a former paramilitary coalition, integrated into the armed forces but containing pro-Iran factions, said three fighters were killed in a strike near Kirkuk, while the interior ministry said two police officers died in another in Mosul. Both were blamed on the United States and Israel. Ukraine&#39;s President Volodymyr Zelensky offered his military&#39;s expertise to help defend against Iranian strikes as left his war-torn country for the region to sign anti-drone cooperation agreements with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. Three journalists killed<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/lebanon-says-46-rescuers-5-medical-staff-killed-in-israelhezbollah-war" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Attacks continued in Lebanon</a>, which was drawn into the conflict when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2. On Saturday, the Israeli military killed three journalists in the south, including Al Manar correspondent Ali Shoeib, one of the network&#39;s most prominent war correspondents, who had covered Israeli attacks on Lebanon for decades. The Israeli military accused him of operating within Hezbollah &quot;under the guise of a journalist.&quot; Lebanese authorities, including President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, condemned the killings as war crimes. Israel also carried out raids in southern Lebanon that killed nine paramedics, according to the health ministry.

A security personnel stands guard as Houthi supporters gather during a rally in solidarity with Iran and Lebanon, amid the US-Israeli war with Iran, in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on March 27, 2026. (File photo: AFP)

Middle East

The involvement of Houthi rebels adds a new complexity to a conflict that has already impacted a wide swathe of the Middle East.

Houthis missile attacks on Israel widen Middle East war

SANAA: Yemen&#39;s Houthis arrested three local United Nations staff, including two women, accusing them of spying for Israel, a security source from the rebel group told AFP on Sunday. &quot;Two women working for the World Food Programme were taken from their homes on Saturday&quot; in the rebel-held capital Sanaa, the source said, adding that a Yemeni man also working for the WFP was arrested that night. &quot;Security and intelligence services in Sanaa still have a list of people wanted for collaborating with the Israeli and American enemy,&quot; the source added. They are the latest in a wave of arrests targeting UN and other NGO workers, with seven other local UN staffers arrested earlier this week on accusations of colluding with Israel. Last week, the rebels raided the UN compound in Sanaa, holding 20 staffers, including 15 foreigners, inside before they were released shortly afterward. Twelve of the 15 international staffers left the country on Wednesday. The United Nations on Friday said that the Huthis had arrested 55 of its personnel since 2021. Rebel leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi has claimed that UN agencies, including the WFP and UNICEF, have participated in &quot;aggressive espionage.&quot; He accused some of them of playing a role in Israeli strikes that targeted a cabinet meeting in August, killing the rebel prime minister. Since the Gaza war began in October 2023, Yemen&#39;s Huthis have repeatedly targeted both Israel and Red Sea shipping routes in a campaign they say is in solidarity with the Palestinians. Israel has responded with heavy strikes on rebel-held areas of Yemen.

Houthis arrested three local United Nations staff, including two women, accusing them of spying for Israel, a security source from the rebel group told AFP on Sunday.

Yemen's rebels arrest three UN staff on charges of spying for Israel

SANAA, Yemen: The UN&#39;s office in Yemen said Sunday that Houthi rebels were still holding 20 of their staff following their raid on their building in Sanaa a day earlier. On Saturday, the UN office said Houthi security forces had made an &quot;unauthorised entry&quot; into their compound, adding that the staff there were &quot;safe and accounted for&quot;. &quot;Five national staff and fifteen international staff remain detained within the compound,&quot; Jean Alam, spokesman for the UN resident coordinator, said on Sunday. The UN was in touch with the authorities in Sanaa, with the relevant member states and the government of Yemen &quot;to resolve this serious situation as swiftly as possible, end the detention of all personnel, and restore full control over its facilities in Sanaa&quot;, it added. Late on Sunday, a UN official, requesting anonymity, told AFP that UNICEF&#39;s representative in Yemen was among those detained. &quot;Peter Hawkins is among the 15 international employees detained in the complex&quot; the Houthis raided the previous day, the official said. Spying accusationsThe rebels had already stormed UN offices in Sanaa on August 31, detaining more than 11 employees, according to the UN. Those employees were suspected of spying for the United States and Israel, a senior Houthi official told AFP at the time on condition of anonymity. In a statement on Saturday, UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric&#39;s spokesperson said: &quot;We will continue to call for an end to the arbitrary detention of 53 of our colleagues.&quot; He was responding to a televised address on Thursday by rebel leader Abdelmalek al-Huthi. He claimed his forces had dismantled &quot;one of the most dangerous spy cells&quot;, which he said was &quot;linked to humanitarian organisations such as the World Food Program and UNICEF&quot;. Dujarric described the accusations as &quot;dangerous and unacceptable&quot;. Saturday&#39;s raid came with dozens of UN personnel already arrested in recent months in areas controlled by the Iranian-backed group. In mid-September, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen was officially transferred from Sanaa -- the capital held by the Houthi rebels -- to Aden, the interim capital of the internationally recognised government. Since August 31, 2025, 21 UN personnel have been arrested, adding to the 23 current and former members of international NGOs already detained, according to the UN. Ten years of civil war have plunged Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arabian Peninsula, into one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, says the UN.

The UN says Houthi rebels in Yemen are holding 20 staff, including UNICEF’s representative, after raiding its Sanaa compound. The UN condemned the detentions and dismissed rebel accusations of espionage as “dangerous and unacceptable.”

UN says Yemen's Houthis holding 20 of its staff

WASHINGTON: Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday denounced the arbitrary detention of nine more United Nations workers in Yemen by Houthi rebels, along with the seizure of assets and facilities in areas under Houthi control. &quot;Most recently, the Houthi de facto authorities detained nine additional UN personnel, bringing the total number of arbitrarily detained UN staff to 53 since 2021,&quot; spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. &quot;These actions hinder the UN&#39;s ability to operate in Yemen and to deliver critical assistance,&quot; the statement continued. The UN last month relocated its top humanitarian coordinator in Yemen from the capital Sanaa, which is under Houthi control, to the government-held city of Aden. Yemen&#39;s internationally recognized government established its headquarters in the southern city of Aden after the rebels drove it out of Sanaa in 2014. The move came after the UN in August said the Houthi rebels had seized at least 11 of its employees as part of a wave of detentions after an Israeli strike killed the rebels&#39; prime minister. &quot;The United Nations will continue to work tirelessly, and through all available channels, to secure the safe and immediate release of all arbitrarily detained personnel, as well as the return of UN agency offices and other assets,&quot; Dujarric said.

Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says actions hinder the UN's ability to operate in Yemen and to deliver critical assistance.

UN chief 'strongly condemns' Houthis detaining nine more UN personnel in Yemen

DUBAI: Yemen&#39;s Houthi rebels early Wednesday claimed the attack that left a Dutch-flagged cargo ship ablaze and adrift in the Gulf of Aden, underlining the range of their weaponry and their campaign targeting shipping over the Israel-Hamas war.&nbsp;The attack on Monday on the Minervagracht was the most serious assault in months by the Houthis in the Gulf of Aden, which is some distance from the Red Sea, where they have sunk four vessels since November 2023.&nbsp;The attack also comes as Israel engages in a new ground offensive targeting Gaza City, as efforts to reach a ceasefire again hang in the balance. Meanwhile, the Mideast also remains on edge after the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. The Houthis separately threatened to &ldquo;employ all means and instruments available&rdquo; to target several American oil firms.&nbsp;The Houthis fired a cruise missile that targeted and struck the Minervagracht, a Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said.&nbsp;Saree accused the ship&#39;s owners, Amsterdam-based Spliethoff, of violating &ldquo;the entry ban to the ports of occupied Palestine.&rdquo; Initially, the US Navy-overseen Joint Maritime Information Center stated that the Minervagracht had no ties to Israel, but a note released on Tuesday indicated that the center was &ldquo;reviewing vessel affiliations for possible links to Israel.&rdquo;&nbsp;The attack wounded two mariners on board the Minervagracht, whose 19-member crew hailed from the Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, and Ukraine. They were forced to evacuate the ship after the strike inflicted substantial damage.&nbsp;A European naval force operating in the region, known as Operation Aspides, said Tuesday the Minervagracht was on fire and adrift after the crew&rsquo;s rescue.&nbsp;The Houthis have launched missile and drone attacks on over 100 ships and on Israel in response to the war in Gaza, saying they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinians. However, some of the group&rsquo;s targets have had tenuous links or no connections at all to Israel.&nbsp;The Houthi attack widens the area of the rebels&rsquo; recent assaults, as the last recorded attack on a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden before the Minervagracht came in August 2024.&nbsp;Their attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods passed each year before the war.&nbsp;The Houthis stopped their attacks on shipping and Israel itself during a brief ceasefire in the war. They later became the target of an intense week-long campaign of airstrikes ordered by US President Donald Trump before he declared a ceasefire had been reached with the rebels.&nbsp;The Houthi campaign against shipping has killed at least eight mariners and seen four ships sunk.&nbsp;Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Houthis announced that they had imposed sanctions against multiple American oil companies, including Chevron Corp, ConocoPhillips, and ExxonMobil Corp., as well as individuals and two ships. The rebels have issued such designations in the past before launching attacks.

Houthis, Gulf of Aden, attacks of vessels, Yemen

Asia

The attack is the most serious assault in months by the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Gulf of Aden, which is some distance from the Red Sea, where they have sunk four vessels since November 2023.

Articles tagged with "Houthis"

Houthis missile attacks on Israel widen Middle East war

Yemen's rebels arrest three UN staff on charges of spying for Israel

UN says Yemen's Houthis holding 20 of its staff

UN chief 'strongly condemns' Houthis detaining nine more UN personnel in Yemen

Houthis claim missile attack on Dutch-flagged ship in Gulf of Aden